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Engaging Diversity
Because
the whole notion of "finding your voice" is tied to communities and our
culture at large including all voices (not just the voices of those in
power), it's essential that those of doing TLA in our communities
develop ways to engage diversity in our work. This means looking both
at how to open up the emerging field of TLA to people from many
backgrounds, and how to educate ourselves about privilege and
oppression in American culture. It also means self-education on how we
see ourselves in the world, and how we are seen by others because of
our gender, color, ethnicity, ability, religion, sexual orientation,
learning styles and oth er attributes that define us.
The
term, "engaging diversity," focuses us on engaging directly with people
who are members of non-privileged communities and populations, and from
these engagements, developing ongoing relationships that cultivate a
more just and inclusive culture. Engaging diversity is a way of opening
the door and beginning the long-term process of looking at how all our
assumptions, backgrounds, internalization of cultural stereotypes and
mythologies about one another, and other attitudes come into play when trying to create a multi-cultural approach to TLA.
other resources
The Cultural / Identity Onion – Karen Campbell
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